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Did Kurt Cobain Have A Tattoo?

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Although not as heavily-tattooed as some of his contemporary grunge and alt rock counterparts, Kurt Cobain did have one small but notable tattoo adorning his left forearm. The tattoo is of the letter K in a shield.

The meaning of Cobain's tattoo

The K in a shield that inspired Cobain's tattoo was actually the logo of a record label. However, before you start questioning everything you've ever known abut grunge culture and its anti-corporate stance, rest assured that the label Cobain was referring to was veritably independent, underground and something of an emblem of DIY punk culture.

The K Records referred to in Kurt Cobain's 'K' tattoo

K Records was an independent record label based in Olympia, Washington State.

The main man behind it was Calvin Johnson and, if you were ever in doubt about the true grunge-nature of the label, its motto was the 'teen angst-chic' and slightly long-winded “exploding the teenage underground into passionate revolt against the corporate ogre since 1982.”

What the tattoo represented to Kurt

When pressed on why he decided to get the tattoo, Cobain replied that it was to "try and remind me to stay a child". This may mean that his memories of K records were of a time where he felt more hopeful, enthusiastic, childlike and naive.

The shield of K records is featured in the lyrics of the song Lounge Act which is a tribute to Cobain's ex-girlfriend, Tobi Vail. She was the drummer of now defunct punk band Bikini Kill, who were signed to K records.

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Anonymous answered
I know he had at least one tattoo. Dave Grohl taught him how to do them himself, so he gave himself a K Records logo.

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